Lubrication apparatus



Nov. 22, 1960 c. E. LAYMAN LUBRICATION APPARATUS Filed Jan. 17, 1958 1 xiii. 1294i.

United States Patent LUBRICATIQN APPARATUS Claude E. Layman, Rock Hill, S.C., assignor to Celanese Corporation of America, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 17, 1958, Ser. No. 709,666

1 Claim. (Cl. 1847) This invention relates to lubrication apparatus used to lubricate ring spinning machines in the textile industry.

Conventional ring spinning machines of the textile industry spin and twist yarn upon a rotating spool or bobbin.

The bobbin is rotated while extending through a ring attached to a rail on the machine frame, which rail is vertically reciprocated. A traveler is secured to the ring in such a manner that it is free to rotate about the inner periphery of the ring, the yarn from a supply being hooped through the traveler and then passing to the bobbin. The rotation of the bobbin causes the traveler to rotate about the inner periphery of the ring. To minimize wear of the traveler and ring, means are provided for feeding a lubricant to the inner periphery of the ring. A large number of rings are carried on the ring rail and in a moderate sized plant a considerable amount of labor is expended in supplying lubricant to each ling separately. In addition, the amount of lubricant supplied will vary due to human error.

It is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus for automatically and continuously lubricating traveler rings in a ring spinning machine.

This and other objects of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following descriptive disclosure of the lubrication apparatus taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation view showing the lubrication apparatus disposed upon a ring spinning machine,

Fig. 2 is a top view of the apparatus of Fig. 1 showing the manner of distributing lubricating oil to a plurality of rings, and

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Turning to the drawing and particularly to Fig. l a tank reservoir for lubricating oil is secured by a metal strap 11 on the ring spinning machine frame 12. Tank 10 is provided with a conventional sight tube 14 to indicate the level of the oil within tank 10.

The bottom wall of tank '10 is provided with a centrally disposed aperture to which is secured an oil supply pipe 15 having a conventional valve therein. Pipe 16 leads into a multiple opening fitting, for example a T-joint 17, to which rigid oil conduits 18 and 19 are secured. Conduits 18 and 19 are each provided with depending portions to which an oil resistant flexible hose 20 is attached.

Each twister ring 21 is provided with a traveler 22 hooked over the top and bottom lip of the inner periphery of the ring, as shown in Fig. 3.

The flexible hoses 20 are of suitable operating length and are normally disposed with a U-shaped portion having upright legs.

As shown in Fig. 2, a vertical or upright pipe 23 is disposed in each oil outlet opening of each hose 20. Each vertical pipe 23 is provided at its top with a horiice zontally disposed manifold 24. A plurality of oil feed pipes 25 are secured to one side of pipe portion 24 and extend outwardly away therefrom.

As shown in Fig. 1, rings 21 are secured by means such as by bolts (not shown) to rail 26 which is reciprrocatcd vertically by rod 27.

A suitable wick 28 is disposed in the outlet end of each feed pipe 25 and extends to a well 29 of suitable depth.

As shown in Fig. 2, each ring 21 is provided with a pair of diametrically opposed arcuate wells 29. It has been found that each oil feed line 25 feeding one of the wells 29 of a ring 21 is sufficient for normal lubrication of a traveler 22 but in exceptional cases as where extremely high traveler speeds or heavy travelers are used a second oil feed line 25 (not shown) may be secured to pipe portion 24 and conducted to the second Well 29 of a ring 21. Clearly where both wells 29 of a single ring 21 are provided with lubricating oil from respective wicks 28, twice as much lubricating oil is provided to ring 21 as when only one well 29 is used for lubrication.

In the operation of the lubrication apparatus of this invention the valve in pipe conduit 16 is suitably opened and the oil in tank 10 is caused to flow by gravity to feed pipes 25 which are at all times at a lower hydrostatic level than is the level of the oil in tank 10. Ac cordingly, the rise and fall of rings 21 between the level shown in Fig. 1 in solid lines and that shown in dotted lines will not interfere with the flow of oil.

Various conventional ways of conducting the oil from well 29 to the rubbing surface of the traveler 22 on ring 21 are used.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is merely given by way of illustration and that many variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A lubrication apparatus for continuously lubricating rotating travelers on vertically reciprocable twister rings on a ring rail of a yarn twisting machine, said rings each having an oil-receiving well, comprising a tank for lubricating oil disposed suitably above the highest point of movement of said rings to provide gravity flow of oil to said rings at all times; pipe conduit means having a substantially U-shaped flexible portion disposed between the ends thereof and communicating at one end with said tank; a manifold conduit communicating with the other end of said pipe conduit and disposed horizontally above the level of the twister rings, a plurality of feed pipes extending downwardly from said manifold conduit and communicating with said wells of said twister rings, and a plurality of wicks respectively disposed in the free ends only of said feed pipes secured to said manifold conduit whereby lubricant from said wicks fills said wells and by capillary action wets the ring surfaces which said travelers contact and whereby lubrication is provided continuously for said travelers while rotating on said rings while said rings are being vertically reciprocated.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,121,908 Elders Dec. 22, 1914 2,760,329 Albrecht Aug. 28, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 533,302 Germany Sept. 11, 1931 357,338 Great Britain Sept. 24, 1931 

